As memory type audios have become common, users daily carry a large number of songs with them. With memory type audios that allow their users to listen to a large number of songs continuously without need to change mediums, a style in which the users not only successively listen to songs of each CD album, but listen to songs shuffled in all CD albums and their favorite songs arranged as play lists has become common. It can be said that the degree of freedom of which the users listen to their favorite songs in their favorite orders not in the orders of songs recorded in albums has increased.
However, it is assumed that the users listen to each song from the beginning to the end. In addition, there is a non-sound region between songs. In other words, one song is the minimum unit. Thus the user has to listen to music on the basis of one song. The user's concentration, namely his or her enthusiasm, breaks at such a non-sound region between songs. As a result, the users are difficult to continuously listen to songs with his or her tension kept.
FIG. 32 shows conventional music reproduction using song A and song B. In this case, the two songs are reproduced with their original tempos. Of course, there is a non-sound region between these songs.
Thus a technique of combining a plurality of music materials and editing them was developed. Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-44046 discloses a technique of combining a plurality of music materials that are input through a user's keyboard and mouse and allowing him or her to interactively edit them and to enjoy the reproduced songs. In the technology, sound pieces such as sound patterns and one-shots and tips composed of effects applicable to sound pieces are assigned to individual keys of the keyboard. When the user presses the keys, tips corresponding thereto are combined and output. When a plurality of keys are pressed at the same time, corresponding tips are combined and output. In addition, when keys are successively pressed, corresponding tips are chronologically combined and thereby a song is composed.
However, with the foregoing technique disclosed as Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2003-44046,it was difficult to recompose a song by connecting parts of a plurality of songs in such a manner that their beats are matched like with a remix created, for example, by a disc jockey (DJ). A DJ is currently a common occupation. There are label companies that dedicatedly deal with remix music. The number of users who enjoy remix music is increasing.
Taking into account of the rhythm of music in a music editing apparatus, it is preferred that while the rhythm of a song currently being reproduced is being followed in real time, a plurality of songs be reproduced successively or simultaneously in such a manner that the rhythm of each song is properly matched like does a professional DJ.
Persons having an occupation called DJs can successively connect a plurality of songs and reproduce them as if they were a series of songs with a record turn table by controlling the reproduction start timings and tempos of these songs. This technique is generally called a remix. Such rhythm synchronizing reproduction provides the listener with new sensation and excitement as an advanced music listening style one step beyond from the conventional simple listening manner. Thus, in recent years, the technique DJ remix has become common as a new music expression technique.
However, currently, it is very difficult to mechanically automate the DJ reproducing technique. This is because although senses of rhythm, beats, and tempo of music are amounts of senses that humans can easily perceive, machines are very difficult to recognize them. Even if an automatic recognition technology is used, its recognition accuracy does not become 100%. Thus machines are insufficient to be practically used for music arrangement that necessitates perfection. Since machines cannot understand the structure of music, they cannot automatically perform flexible arrangement reproduction based on a music structure like DJ play.
From the foregoing point of view, the present invention solves the following problems. DJs can seamlessly start reproducing the next song such that its beats and bars are matched with those of the song that is being reproduced. In contrast, since machines cannot recognize beats and bars, they cannot automatically perform such a process.
DJs can seamlessly start reproducing the next song such that its beats and bars are matched with those of the song that is being reproduced. In contrast, since machines cannot recognize beats and bars, they cannot automatically perform such a process.
DJs can seamlessly start reproducing the next song such that it's tempo is matched with that of the current song that it is currently reproducing even if the tempo of the current song changes. In contrast, since the machines cannot recognize the tempo, they cannot automatically perform such a process.
DJs can seamlessly start reproducing the next song such that its melody is matched with that of the song that is being reproduced. In contrast, since machines cannot recognize the rhythm, they cannot automatically perform such a process.
The present invention was created from the foregoing point of view. An object of the present invention is to provide a music editing apparatus that uses so-called time line meta data that describe a beat and melody structure of a song to automatically accomplish the automatic DJ remix play with a low load.